Drum tilting arc



April 3%, 1946.

E: M. LACEY 2,39,3Q

DRUM TILTING ARC Filed Dec. 27, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR:

ATTORNEY.

April 30, 1946. E. M. LACEY zjs msw DRUM TILTING ARC I Filed D60. 27, 1944 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 $255375! LACE);

INVENTOR.

. BY 1 f ATTORNEY.

Aprii 30, 1946.

E. M. LACEY 2,399,360

DRUM TILTING ARC Filed Dec. 27, 1944 3 Shets-Sheet 3 g0 v $15527 1M .JACEY,

INVENTOR.

ATTORN EY.

Patented Apr. 30, 1946 DRUM TILTIN G ARC Elbert-M. Lacey, Chula Vista, Califi, assignor to Bohr Aircraft Corporation, a corporation of California Chula Vista, Califi,

Application'December 27, 1944, Serial No. 570,019 6 Claims. (01. 294-78 Myinvention relates to drum tilting arcs, particularly those employed for movab-ly supporting large and unwieldy drums and fluid containers or other heavy receptacles; and its objects are, to balance such receptacles so thatwhatever their proportionate amount of solid, powdered or fluid content, they may readily be manually turned and moved into any desired position for filling or discharge of their contents or other purpose; to provide a more efficient means for the easy attachment, detachment and steadying of such receptacles upon said arc, including a three-point suspension from the rail thereof; to furnishv a more rapid and satisfactory sling for picking up, transporting and piling or unpiling said loads; and to guard against, the possibility of personal injuries to the operatoror neighboring employees in the operation of said arc, while insuring more efficiency and saving of time in the handling of said containers than has here: tofore been accomplished, Theseand various otherobj ectsand advantages will become apparent as shownin the drawings and as hereinafter set forth and described While tilting arcs used for supporting and name dlingbulky and .heavy objects, the center of grav ityof which is made to-conform with the radius point of the rail of such arc, are old inthe art, I believe that my invention is'the first means anywhere employed for adapting and changing such arcs for a threepoint suspension against dislodgment of heavy drums or receptacles of varying size and content. Such containersas now "used in manufacturing plants are generally in the form of' large and unwieldy metallic cylinders with or without'heavy flanges at either end; and'they are in the usual form provided for the reception and handlin in quantity of a great variety of materials, including solids, powders, and fluids such as oil, gasoline. chemicals, paint and other liquids, the standard size of drum being of capacities up to about fiftyfive liquid gallons, and the larger drums weighing up to seven hundred and fifty pounds when filled. Through careful experimentation, I have discovered that any two-point suspension of any or such receptacles through a single point attachment applied to each end thereof is dangeroils and unsatisfactory, in that such support is unstable and unsteady and likely to slide or slip off said. receptacle, even where extreme care is exercised; and-that in order to secure stable suspension: it is necessary to employ three or more cooperating point attachments (preferably utilizing, modifying,

. ment of the locked) to said receptacle, that is, at least a single point attachment for one end and two separated locking point attachments for the opposite end thereof, so that the tendency of the receptacle to rock or slip out of position, which tendency is always present with two-point suspension, is completely eliminated. Also it is necessary to devise and construct for the adequate and proper operation of such attachments a boom and supporting frameworktherefor firmly secured to the rail of 'the arc. Such rearrangements, changes and modifications of the old tilting arc constructions are necessary in adapting the same to drum tilting arcs; for while the center of gravity of a standard size drum when filled with fiuid as well as when completely empty may be made practically to coincide with the radius point of the rail, yet" where difierent sized drums are used or where the fluid contents of the drum isdepleted, this coincidence of center of gravity with said radius point isdifiicult to maintain or secure and only an approximation" of thesame can be brought about, and there is always present the tendency of the drum 'by reason of the displacefiuid therein contained, to rock and to break away from its attachments when moved upon the tilting arc. This'tendency is compensated for and avoidedthrough the use of my improved and perfected after more specifically ter illustration;

Fig' Z" is an enlarged section on line 22 of Figure 1, looking. in the direction of the arrows,

of the single point attachment bracket and its connectionfwith the lower or outer end of the supplfting frame afiixed to the rail of the tilting arc;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my drum tilting arc, showing the drum suspended in horizontal position, theparts otherwisebeing in the same relation as shown. in Fig. 1;

Fig. l. is an enlarged. side elevation of the sliding two-point attachment bracket, showing its adjustable connectionwiththat part of the supf' porting frame adjacent to the end ofv the drum said bolt passing throughopenings fend extending outwardly therefrom,

make sliding contact Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 6, together with its hook connection to the lifting hoist.

Referring to the drawings, the is the supporting member of my lifting arc, and is preferably of metal in the form of a conventional T-beam, but may be of any material and in any form suitable for the Located above the rail 8 and forming.

purpose. the main support thereof is the lifting eye 9,

shaped to engage with the hook 49 of a conventional shiftable hoist, so that the same may be transferred to suitable locations about a plant as occasion requires. Afilxed to said eye 9 is the tongue [0 having an opening H therein through which extends the shank of the bolt l2, and serves to connect the saidtongue thereto. (See Fig.- 6.) Also mounted. upon the shank of said bolt are the trolley plates l3. and I4, the

in'hubs l1 and I8 thereof; all of these parts being preferably of metal and being firmly secured in position upon the tightening of the nuts I9 and Illa engaging with the threaded end of bolt I2. Pivotally mounted upon the plates l3 and i4, and extending inwardly from the walls thereof, are the trolley-wheels and 2|, which are shaped to engage with the channels 22 and 23 respectively, of the T-beam arcuate. rail 8, and to travel therein.

Firmly welded or-sec red at one-end to the under part of the rail 8, and having the other is the-metal boom 24, (preferably inthe form of an inverted T-beam) firmly secured in position'by metal supports 50 and 5| and metalbraces 52 and-53, the inner ends of which supports and braces are welded or otherwise secured to the rail 8, and whose outer ends arewelded or otherwise secured to the boom 24. Downwardly depending from the outer end of the boom; 24, and preferably welded thereto is the bracket 25, having the gusset 26 and integraltherewith the foot plate 21; the bottom of said plate being turned inwardly to form the catch 28, which for greater strength'is providedv with the wedge shaped reinforcement 29, and which is formed to make a single contactjengagement with the adjacent rim 30 of the drum 3!.

Slidably mounted upon the boom 24 is the twopoint attachment bracket32, constructed with a back 33 and clevis plates 34 and 35, similarly forni'ed andhaving' their upperends' 34a and 3517 turned. inwardly, to straddle and shaped to of the boom 24, and their ou ter ends provided with thebatche's '38 and 39 shaped to make. a double contact engagement with the rim 4!! of the drum3l. In order that the bracket 32 and the catches .38 and 39 may be securely locked in position once their contact is made with said rim, I preferably provide the clevis plates 34 and35 with the clamp 4|, .the shank of which passes through openings 42 and 43 in said plates; one end of said shank being engaging with the edge 31 of the boom 24, and

arcuate rail 3 improved drum l5 and I6 with the edges 36 .and 31 v bent to form a hook 44 and is in more convenient tachment of the single the other end 45 of said shank passing through the wedge shaped washer 46 and being threaded to make engagement with the threaded opening 41 provided therefor in the adjusting knob 48. (See Figs. 4 and 5.)

As will be observed from Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, practically any ordinary size of drum can be supported andhandled by my improved tilting are, simply by sliding and adjusting the two point or double contact attachment bracket 32 upon the boom 24 to accommodate the length of the drum. Preferably, the drum being upon the floor or ground beneath the ar I lower the hoist thereof so that the boom 24 is parallel to handling position in Then, I first make atcatch of the outer bracket 25 to one of the rims of the drum, and thereupon slide the bracket 32 upon the boom 24 toward the other rim of said drum and make firm attachment thereto of the double contacts of said bracket 32, and lock the same in position by means of the clamp 4|. Thereupon the hoist may be lifted carrying with it said are and drum to the desired position; and so firm will be found the three-point or three contact anchorage of the drum to the arc, that the drum may be tilted to any desired position and handled even by an inexperienced operator without danger of its breaking away. I

While I have shown, in this my preferred form of construction, attachment means limitedto a three-point or three implacement contact. anchorage, it is obvious that other multiple point suspension of the same general character and exceeding suchvtriplicate means might be employed without, departing from the spirit and scope ofmy invention. I

Wherein the claims I referto a drum," 1 desire by the use of such word to be understood as meaning to include any-form of cylindrical or prismatic receptacle or container, or any finass of respect to said drum.

material of similar form; to tachment may be made-fertilesuspension and handlingof-the same. Y

My invention may be embodied in other forms or carried out in other ways without departing from the spirit or essential thereof. The present embodiment of my inven-' tion as hereinbefore set forth is therefore tobe considered as in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of my invention being indicated by the appended claims. and all changes'whioh come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims-are intended to be embraced therein. .What I claim and-desire to secure Patent is: r i 1 1:. In drum-tilting arc apparatus, the combinationof an'arcuate rail a trolley liftingcarrier running upon said rail and operating to support the same, a boom protruding from within the curveof said rail and having its inner end firmly secured thereto and braced thereon, and mul- ,tiple contact means for detachably ,sl Sl endi'n adrum by both of its ends from said boom;

by Letters 2. In. drum tilting ,arcapparatus, the com V characteristics 3. In drum tilting arc apparatus, the combination of an arcuate rail, a trolley lifting carrier running upon said rail and operating to support the same, a boom protruding from said rail and firmly secured thereto and braced thereon, suspension means for making detachable connection of one part of said boom with the flange at one end of a flanged drum and slldable suspension means for making detachable connection of another part of said boom with the flange at the other end of said drum.

4. In drum tilting arc apparatus, the combination of an arcuate rail, a trolley lifting carrier running upon said rail and operating to support the same, a boom protruding from said rail and having its inner end firmly secured thereto and braced thereon, suspension means for making detachable connection of the outer end of said boom with the flange at one end of a flanged drum, and slidable suspension means cooperating therewith for making detachable locking contact of said boom with the flange at the other end of said drum.

5. In drum tilting arc apparatus, the combination of an arcuate rail, a trolley lifting carrier running upon said rail and operating to support the same, a boom protruding from said rail and having its inner end firmly secured thereto, a bracket firmly aflixed to the outer end of said boom and constructed to make detachable connection with the flange at one end of a flanged drum, and a bracket slidably mounted upon said boom and constructed to make plural detachable locking contacts with the flange at the other end of said drum.

6. In drum tilting arc apparatus, the combination of an arcuate rail, a trolley lifting carrier running upon said rail and operating to support the same, a boom protruding from said rail and having its inner end firmly secured thereto, a bracket immovably afiixed to the outer end of said boom and constructed to make a detachable single point connection with the flange at one end of a flanged drum, a bracket slidably mounted upon said-boom and constructed to make detachable double point connection with the flange at the other end of said drum, and means for locking said slidable bracket in position after its said double point connection has been eifected.

ELBERT M. LACEY. 

